Some time ago my friend Thomas from Rumboom sent me (and a few other guys) two blind samples. Of course I do not want to withhold my notes from you. Motivated by him, I will try to do this more often from now on. The additional samples come from an earlier blind tasting by Eric. Thanks a…
Velier Basseterre Vieux 1997
Let’s take a small detour to Guadeloupe, the only logical sequal to the Martinicans from the previous reviews. Today’s rum is the Velier Basseterre Vieux 1997. The Bottling Even though the label reads Basseterre (a city on Saint Kitts and Nevis), the Velier Basseterre Vieux 2007 actually comes from Basse-Terre, the western half of Guadeloupe. On the back label we…
A bunch of Agricoles from Martinique
Welcome back to another cross-tasting! This time we have a bunch of agricoles from Martinique, two vintage or Millésime rhums and two more from Depaz. Let’s see whether they have something on the ball. J.M. Vieux 2002 (46,3%): This is a ten year old rhum from J.M., the northernmost distillery on Martinique in Macouba. What’s special about them…
Mai Tai made with Pellegrini Mabaruma 2000 13YO
Welcome back dear reader, last week I had the honour to introduce a Mai Tai for Barrel Aged Thoughts’ second MAI Tai (Mai is the German word for the month May). On his blog, Flo introduces another Mai Tai every day for the entire month. For the original article (in German), click here. This is simply an English…
Neisson Vieux Single Cask 2004
Here it is, the first Rhum Agricole on this site. What else than a single cask rhum could I possibly have chosen for this occasion!? Today we have the Neisson Vieux Single Cask 2004. The Bottling Established in the Carbet commune in 1931 by the Neisson brothers, the distillery is one of the few remaining distilleries…
Compagnie des Indes Indonesia 2004 10YO vs By the Dutch Batavia Arrack
Today we have something quite unusual. It is a battle between two Indonesian rums; or should I say Arracks? Anyway, the contenders are the Compagnie des Indes Indonesia 2004 10YO and the By the Dutch Batavia Arrack! The Bottlings Arak is a term that is commonly used to describe different spirits. Depending on the country, people…
A triple of 2000 Rockley/ Blackrock W.I.R.D.s
Dear reader, after all the positive feedback I have got over the last couple of months since starting this blog, I came to the conclusion that weekly reviews might not be enough. That’s why you will be getting something extra. From now on, every second Monday (or so) will feature either a small cross-tasting, notes from blind-tastings, a…
Whiskybroker W.I.R.D. 2000 16YO
May the 4th be with you! Another Rockley/ Blackrock style rum from Barbados’ West Indies Rum Distillery (W.I.R.D.). Distilled in June 2000, it comes from the same batch as the Duncan Taylor W.I.R.D. 2000 15YO but got to age for another year. It is the Whiskybroker W.I.R.D. 2000 16YO. The Bottling This bottling is part of…
Duncan Taylor W.I.R.D. 2000 15YO
It is time to introduce a very special Bajan rum style which we have got to know as Rockley or Blackrock. Its profile doesn’t really match that of any other rum and it is in fact a bit polarising. You either love it or hate it. I am probably one of the few people in the middle of the spectrum,…
Plantation Jamaica (Long Pond) 1986 25YO
I have been questioning myself a lot whether to review this rum or not. In the end I decided in favour of it since it nicely fits the theme of “odd” Long Ponds that ran like a golden thread through the last couple of reviews. It is the Plantation Jamaica (Long Pond) 1986 25YO. The Bottling…
Compagnie des Indes Long Pond 2003 12YO
More Long Pond “oddities”. As far as I am aware, this is the first and only 2003 Long Pond on the market. Tasting new vintages of beloved distilleries is always exciting. Today’s rum is the Compagnie des Indes Long Pond 2003 12YO. The Bottling Founded in 1753, Long Pond is a sugar estate and distillery in…
LPS Long Pond 1993 11YO (1st release)
After expecting a Hampden and getting a Long Pond with the MacY Jamaica 1992 14YO, we now have a Long Pond that pretty much has the profile of a Hampden. It is a trip to the past and to a long sold out bottling. It is the first release of Rum Albrecht’s LPS series, the…
Single Cask Rum 